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FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5868
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001849 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2016 
TAGS: PREL MARR PARM BA IR REGION BILAT OFFICIALS
SUBJECT: KING HAMAD SUPPORTS GULF SECURITY DIALOGUE 
 
REF: STATE 171822 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
------- 
Summary 
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¶1.  (S) King Hamad October 18 told the interagency Gulf 
Security Dialogue (GSD) delegation that he wants to work with 
the U.S. on creating a new comprehensive defense strategy for 
the region in light of recent developments.  He commended the 
U.S.'s bilateral approach to each of the GCC states and said 
the GCC should solve its internal disputes and send Iran the 
message that it is united.  He complained that Qatar is 
becoming an "Iranian satellite" and that Oman's lack of 
urgency about the Iranian challenge is because "it is not on 
Iran's list - for now."  The King stated that the Iranian 
people hate living under the regime and that although the 
government sounds strong, it is vulnerable.  On Iraq, the 
King said that Iraqis would be too scared to fight each other 
if U.S. forces pulled back.  He stressed that Bahrain wants 
real peace with Israel and was in touch with the Israeli and 
Palestinian governments about moving ahead.  Referring to 
Bahrain's upcoming elections, the King said that Bahrain has 
a "responsible democracy" with safeguards in place to guard 
against the more extreme elements of the political spectrum. 
He stated that there would be a woman in the elected lower 
house of parliament for the first time as one woman was 
running unopposed.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (S) The interagency Gulf Security Dialogue delegation led 
by Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military 
Affairs John Hillen and Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
International Security Affairs Peter Rodman met with King 
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa October 18 to discuss achieving 
progress on the six pillars of the Dialogue (reftel).  The 
delegation also met with Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad 
Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak 
Al Khalifa, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Assistant Under 
Secretary for Coordination and Follow Up Shaikh Abdul Aziz 
 
SIPDIS 
bin Mubarak Al Khalifa (septels). 
 
------------------------------------- 
Work Together on New Defense Strategy 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (S) King Hamad opened the meeting by saying that the 
region was in need of a new defense strategy.  With all the 
recent events, there needed to be a comprehensive evaluation 
of internal and external security strategies.  He thanked the 
delegation for coming to Bahrain and asked that the United 
States work with Bahrain and the GCC on this new concept.  He 
emphasized that there should be more engagement and more 
exercises to improve coordination and to send the right 
message to regional actors.  "We are honored to be your 
ally," the King stated, "and we have a wonderful 
relationship."  He said he had reviewed the GSD read-ahead 
paper and he wants to work on it together and achieve its 
objectives. 
 
¶4.  (S) The King commended the delegation's engagement with 
all GCC countries, noting that bilateral approaches with the 
GCC countries were most appropriate at this point. 
Internally, each GCC country is different and is able to 
engage in a different way.  The GCC countries should "forget 
their disputes and accept what they have, which is a lot," 
the King commented, noting that the region would become more 
secure if the GCC settled its internal quarrels.  When 
discussing any problem, Iran should see that the GCC is 
united.  Oil is pouring from the region to the world and it 
is important that no single country controls the Gulf's 
petroleum resources, like Saddam tried to do and now Iran is 
attempting to do the same. 
 
-------------------------- 
Concerns About Qatar, Oman 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (S) In this regard, King Hamad commented that Qatar is 
"becoming like an Iranian satellite."  Qatar Airlines has 
more than 80 Iranian pilots, the hospitals are staffed with 
Iranian doctors, and Qatar established a special port 
facility for Iranian imports.  Qatar "is being bought by 
Iran" as it drifts away from Saudi Arabia.  He urged that the 
U.S. mediate between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and stated that 
Qatar should become involved in the GSD process.  A/S Hillen 
 
MANAMA 00001849  002 OF 003 
 
 
said that the U.S. side had met with Qatar on the GSD and 
shared some "hard words."  He told Qatari officials that the 
changing security architecture in the region is based upon a 
commonality of interests between the U.S. and its friends in 
the region to stop Iran from achieving dominance.  Qatar's 
votes in the UN Security Council and Arab League had led the 
U.S. to question whether that was still true. 
 
¶6.  (S) A/S Hillen indicated that in the delegation's 
meetings in Muscat, Omani officials had been casual about 
Iran and the prospect of proliferation in the region.  The 
King joked that Iran must have told Oman that "it's not on 
their list - for now."  Iran's priorities are Bahrain, the 
UAE, and Kuwait, he said.  Iran cannot move against Bahrain 
because of the presence of the Fifth Fleet.  He noted that he 
had spoken with leaders in Dubai about smuggling into Iran, 
and what would happen to Dubai's trade with Iran if sanctions 
were applied.  They acknowledged that there would be more 
smuggling.  Dubai, the King said, is the biggest highway for 
goods into Iran. 
 
----------------------------- 
Iranian Government Vulnerable 
----------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (S) The King said that the Iranian people hate living 
under the current regime.  The people in control are not 
popular.  There are so many different kinds of people in the 
country - Balouchis, Turkomen, Azeris, Arabs, and others - 
but there is not one Sunni mosque in the country.  The 
Iranian government sounds strong but it is not; it is 
vulnerable.  A/S Hillen stated that Iran wants to dominate 
the region and speak for the Middle East.  We want our 
friends to be able to pursue their interests and conduct 
their diplomacy in freedom. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Strong, United Iraq to Face Iran 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (S) The King said that there needs to be balance in the 
Gulf.  When Saddam was removed from power, Iraqi officials 
invited Iran in while the Arab states did not move.  The best 
way to deal with Iran is to have a strong, united Iraq.  If 
the Iraqi government does not succeed, this would be an Iraqi 
failure, not a U.S. failure.  Iraqis missed a great 
opportunity to work with the U.S. to create a modern country. 
 But they want to kill each other more than they want to 
modernize.  If U.S. forces in Iraq pulled back, the various 
factions will be too scared to fight each other, he said, 
whereas with the U.S. presence, they are free to fight.  "The 
sophisticated U.S. soldier," the King stated, "should not be 
patrolling the streets of Baghdad."  He thought that the Arab 
countries could do more to bring security to Iraq, suggesting 
that they protect oil facilities.  Noting that Bahrain had 
deployed a ship to Kuwait during the war, he said, "now we 
want to do more." 
 
---------------------- 
Real Peace with Israel 
---------------------- 
 
¶9.  (S) The King said that Bahrain should have real peace 
with Israel.  "We're serious, pushing, meeting with 
Israelis," he asserted.  While the meetings were not 
conducted openly, Bahrain would do so when the right time 
comes.  The region needs peace with Israel "and then we can 
all face Iran," he stated.  In the meetings, Bahrain tells 
Israel that the Palestinians are under occupation and have a 
long way to go for a Palestinian state.  Israel should assist 
the Palestinians.  Hamas, Hizballah, and Iran do not want 
peace.  America must support peace and provide diplomatic 
leadership.  A/S Hillen said that Secretary Rice is engaging 
and wants to be seen as providing that leadership.  The King 
noted that Bahrain is working with Palestinian President 
Abbas, telling him not to worry about Hamas and to do what he 
needs to do.  The Arabs support him. 
 
¶10.  (S) The King said that he had visited Damascus a few 
months ago and had sent Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin 
Ahmed Al Khalifa there recently.  He told President Asad 
"politely" that Syria is a dictatorship without a dictator. 
Bashar just laughed.  Asad said that he could "solve Iraq's 
problems" by sending Syrian forces into the country.  The 
King said that Syria's intention would be to get the U.S. out 
and then work with Iran to occupy Iraq, just as they did in 
Lebanon. 
 
MANAMA 00001849  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
---------------------------------- 
"Responsible Democracy" in Bahrain 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (S) Turning to domestic affairs, the King indicated that 
Bahrain was busy preparing for elections.  His challenge is 
to show citizens that Bahrain can be a better place in the 
future.  The country needs a bigger middle class and stronger 
economic growth to achieve stability.  He noted that there 
are both Sunni and Shia extremists in the country that 
threaten stability, and he said he had instructed the 
Ministry of Interior to consult with the FBI on what Bahrain 
can do better. 
 
¶12.  (S) Bahrain should become even more moderate than it was 
before, the King said.  Bahrain has a "responsible 
democracy," unlike in Kuwait, where Salafis dominate.  The 
appointed upper house Shura Council, he stated, balances the 
elected lower house Council of Representatives (COR), a 
"safe" arrangement.  If Bahrain's democracy was like Kuwait's 
or Morocco's, "the Salafis and Jihadis would come in." 
Addressing the former boycotters, the King said that he had 
been patient and had not called them traitors.  "I spoke with 
them and kept doors open."  This time they will participate 
in the elections.  He noted there would be a woman deputy in 
the COR for the first time.  "We designed a constituency for 
her," he said, and she had no competition for the seat.  She 
ran in 2002 and almost won, getting 45 percent of the votes. 
Her participation in the COR is good for Bahrain, the King 
stated. 
 
¶13.  (S) The King mentioned that the Bandar report had added 
some controversy to the pre-election period.  He said that 
the author, Sudanese-British citizen Salah Al Bandar, had 
links to exiled Bahraini rejectionist Saeed Shehabi in 
London.  When the Shia boycotters decided to participate, 
Shehabi lost, so he decided to inject Al Bandar into the 
system.  Al Bandar had claimed he was an NGO expert.  Because 
he has a Bahraini wife, "we decided to help him."  What Al 
Bandar did, however, was look at statistics and checks, 
listened to some people, and drew wrong conclusions.  Action 
on the issue had moved from the press to the courts. 
 
¶14.  (U) A/S Hillen and A/S Rodman cleared this cable. 
 
 
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MONROE